Chinese Pistache Tree Problems in Midwest?

samnsarahOctober 30, 2013

Some of you are familiar with my Chinese Pistache Tree. It was the young one with the huge fork in the middle. Anyway, this tree had begun leaking clear sap droplets all over from tiny hairline cracks in the bark all summer. I actually noticed it late last summer too, but it was only a couple of droplets, so I didn't think much of it. Now itÃ¯Â¿Â½s happening all over this tree. The leaves at the ends of all the branches turned brown from the outside in and eventually fell by the end of August. In September I noticed brown spots on all the rest of the leaves. This is not fall color. Chinese Pistache trees don't start turning to fall colors in mid-November around here in SC Kansas.
Okay, I said all of that to say this. A small town about 20 miles west of where I live just cut down a 12 year old Chinese Pistache, because it got some sort of disease and was dying. The other two Chinese Pistache trees in that vicinity are doing fine as far as I can tell. Another, approx. 100 year old, Chinese Pistache Tree east of where I live is half dead. The remaining part of the tree appears to be rotting from the inside out.
Does anyone know if Chinese Pistache trees have trouble surviving in zone 6 climates?

I've been researching verticillium wilt, and I don't think it is that. The leaves aren't wilting and the branches aren't drooping. I did some research on rapid growth cracks, which sometimes occur during periods of wet weather immediately following hot, dry weather. I don't know if the spotted leaves and the ctracked bark are related or not. It's now dormant and has shed its leaves, so its hard to determine anyhting else. I'll probably just wait until Spring and see what happens. If the symptoms continue to worsen next summer, I may replace it.